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Rune Artifact guide for beginners
Part I: Runes
Credits to JMB for the original guide. Refined and additional explanations by @bitter fjord
General guide for hero equipment setup: (Note: this is a general guide for beginners. There may be uses for a certain set of runes/artifact in very exceptional cases; here I'll be referring to about 9/10 of the gameplay.)
**FIRE: ** Increases dmg dealt (2.6% + 1.3% * [the rune's level - 4], 1.3% if lvl 1-3); a lvl 6 rune for example, gives a 5.2% dmg boost) + crit chance increased by 15% for the first 20 second of battle. Mainly used for DPS characters.
LIGHTNING: Ignores the target's defense (4.8% + 2.4% * [the rune's level - 4], 2.4% if lvl 1-3), and a 20% chance of increasing dmg dealt to 135% while attacking. Mainly used for DPS characters that lack health % dmg, so ignoring defense will help offset the lack of dmg.
AIR: Reduces skill cooldown (6% + 3% * [the rune's level - 4], 3% if lvl 1-3), and after using a hero skill, increase the next auto attack's dmg by 70%. Mainly used for support characters in order to spam active skills (especially CC, buff, debuff, etc.) but it may find its way into DPS characters for specific purposes (ie. Oberon uses Air Yasa to spam his blade spin to increase his sustain, Athena uses Air Yasa to spam her iframe + stun).
WATER: Increases Health Bestowal (According to game definition, "whenever the Hero gives healing, increase the given amount by this percentage") and shield tempering (5% + 2.5% * [the rune's level - 4], 2.5% if lvl 1-3). Also increases the dodge of a hero by 20% for 3 seconds if a sheild/healing skill is cast. Mainly used for healers due to the health bestowal skill. Water runes may be used for certain DPS, sustainibility in exchange of DMG. Water runes are also highly recommended when running Hades (continuous healing skill boosts his dodge to over 50%, assuming his IW dodge is maxed).
EARTH: Reduces the DMG taken by (2.6% + 1.3% * [the rune's level - 4], 1.3% if lvl 1-3). Defense is increased by 50% for the first 10 seconds. Mainly used for tanks. Can be used for supports or DPS that lack sustain/die too early in the fight.
DARK: Restores a certain amount of energy per second (2 + [the rune's level - 4] energy per second, 1 if lvl 1-3). Increases attack by 12% after releasing an ultimate, and this increase can stack twice. Mainly used for heroes who rely on activating their ultimate for dmg/support (ie Medusa for stunlock, Zeus for group stun and dmg).
LIGHT: Restores a certain percentage of max health per second (0.2% + 0.1% * [the rune's level - 4], 0.1% if lvl 1-3). If health drops below 50%, health restoration effects will increase by 35%. It has relatively limited uses, compared to other runes. Mainly used for tanks that lack self-sustain or have insufficient sustain skills (ie Poseidon, Odin, although Earth runes are usually the more viable option).
FOREST: Gives resistance to control skills (7% + 3.5% * [the rune's level - 4], 3.5% if lvl 1-3). Additionally, 150 energy will be restored to the hero and a shield of 20% of hero's max health will be provided at the beginning of the battle. This rune set has relatively niche use. However, it can be used for heroes who need to get their ultimate off quickly while also providing sustain. For example, using forest runes to get a healer to group heal before the enemy does significant damage, or using forest to protect your DPS from being controlled by enemies for too long.
Due to Discord's message word limit, the 2nd edition to the beginner's artifact guide will be posted in a separate message.
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bitter fjord
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